Digimon Conquest
by KingWarBird
Summary: Asuka da Renamon is the newest Knight of Venhea. She is quickly realizing that war is not to be romanticized and that even heroes have dark sides. Pride de Leomon of the Justice Club and Image le Gaomon, her friend, each play their parts as they both influence the young Knight and help her become the mighty Digimon she is destined to be.
1. Chapter 1

Ch 1: For Venhea

"You've come a long way, Asuka. Defeat Image and you will no longer be recognized as a mere Fledgling but as a true Knight of Venhea." Visler de Starmon looked down at his pupil, his green eyes filled with pride at seeing how much the yellow and white fox Digimon before him had grown.

Asuka looked up and smiled at the big silver star with limbs she called her teacher. Of all the Knights in Venhea, she had never expected Visler to accept her as his pupil but, having made it to the Combat Skill Graduation Exam after three years of hard work under Visler, and many more years without him before that, she was more than ready to display the fruits of her labor in her upcoming battle.

"Thank you for all your teachings, Knight de Starmon," Asuka said with a deep bow of respect to the Digimon before her.

Visler put his large hand on the yellow fox's head and said, "after today, it'll just be Knight Visler. I believe in you. Make me proud, girl."

The Renamon kept her head bowed for a moment more. Releasing a deep breath, Asuka straightened her back and turned to face the plain white doors that had been behind her.

"May Venhea's glory shine on me today."

Without turning to face her teacher, Asuka repeated the prayer and walked towards the doors now before her. They split open as she approached them and as she walked out of the plain waiting room and into the coliseum's arena, the massive dome building packed with cheering fans, Asuka felt confident in herself.

Having relaxed, Asuka took in as many details as possible about the battlefield. The random field generator had created an arena with Earth, Wood, and Water elements in mind; which she felt would be to her own advantage. A grassy field made up the terrain beneath her feet; the short blades of grass were covered in a slight blanket of dew from the relatively small waterfall and pond combination to her left. There was platform-like-stones jutting out the side of the unnatural mountain from which the water fell, some smaller but still manageable stones in the falling water's way. To her right, Asuka saw thick brush, the canopy of which was about forty feet off the ground, and the bulk of which had more than enough room for her slender figure to escape into. Content with what she'd observed, Asuka made her way to her starting position, fifteen feet forward, seventy feet away from where Image would start.

As she settled into the circle that was her designated starting point, the doors opposite the ones she exited opened and out walked the shorter, bipedal wolf that was her opponent. His blue and white fur was relaxed, his red boxing gloves and matching headband shined defiantly. For all her confidence and effort, Image had dedicated just as much of his life to this moment. He nodded at Asuka, grim determination on his face as he settled into position.

From a door that cut the field in half came a small chill as the overseer of the battle made his way into the arena. The Digimon was humanoid in body type and wore a skin-tight, white and light blue bodysuit with blue chest armor and matching gauntlets and helmet. He had striking yellow streaks on the forehead of his helm and similarly colored blades on his forearms. The Rinkmon strode in on the ice skates of his species, elegantly dancing atop the thin sheets of ice he created midstride, finally stopping in a twirl in the center of the field.

"I am Grace de Rinkmon, Knight of Venhea and proctor for this battle," announced the Armor-Level Digimon to the crowd and Fledglings before him, throwing his flared white muffler to the side for dramatic effect. He stretched his arm out to point at Asuka. "Asuka la Renamon, apprentice to Visler de Starmon, you are here in hopes of becoming a Knight." Grace used his other arm to put people's attention on Asuka's opponent. "Image le Gaomon, apprentice to Tempest de Aquilamon, you share these same aspirations. Despite all your training, your opponent today has endured and sacrificed just as much. Fight honorably, fight courageously, and fight to prove that you deserve to become a Knight. May Venhea's glory shine on this battlefield. Ready?"

"Ready," confirmed the two combatants in unison.

"Very well. Asuka la Renamon, Image le Gaomon, begin!"

Without hesitation, Asuka dropped to all fours and began sprinting in a zigzag towards Image. Despite his much shorter legs, Image was also able to get a strong start as he ran towards Asuka, red gloves up and close to his chest. Knowing that the Gaomon would easily overpower her in a fair fist fight, Asuka jumped into the air and made a diamond with her fingers.

"Yellow Diamond Flash," she said as she willed her strength down her arms and into her hands. Bright light burst out from the small diamond she had formed and illuminated the field with a piercing yellow light. A small yelp of pain from her opponent informed Asuka her attack had worked.

Landing softly on the grass, she closed in on Image who had one glove over his pained eyes and the other glove thrashing uselessly at the air. Not five feet away, Asuka did a spinning leap toward Image with the intent of using her momentum to land a heavy kick into Image's chest.

As she made her fourth rotation almost directly in front of her opponent, Asuka thought that she saw a smile cross Image's face. Her fear came true; as soon as her back was to the blue wolf, she heard Image whisper "Scent on the Breeze." Asuka braced herself as she recognized the name of the technique and its uses as she herself had used in the past. She sensed Image's body heat at her back before she felt the rush of pain that followed. "Rolling Upper!" shouted Image as his gloved fist connected with the small of Asuka's back sending her into the air.

Asuka crashed onto the grass a few feet away from Image, writhing in pain as she pawed at her back, hoping to massage the pain away. Image rubbed at his eyes once more before lightly punching himself to refocus. He turned his head to look directly at the writhing Asuka still on the ground, his bloodshot eyes told a simple story, Image was concentrated on finishing things quickly.

Image straightened his right arm and began to spin it, a small ring of gray wind forming around his wrist. "Vortex Uppercut."

Ignoring the pain, Asuka rolled onto her stomach and forced herself up and away from where she was, a small rising twister tearing up the ground and grass as Image's attack tore through the space she had occupied a split second earlier.

Wanting to create separation, Asuka rolled for few feet before giving a powerful push off of one arm and landing several yards away from Image. "One Thousand Reflections," Asuka yelled as she made an X with her arms in front of her and then clawed at the air as she brought her arms behind her in a swift motion. Two orbs of light that formed in her palms became beams of light that fell onto the dew-covered grass beneath her feet. The water droplets on the grass blades acted as prism's and reflected rainbow colored beams at Image.

Image's eyes went wide, "Gao Rush!" he yelled frantically as he began throwing a flurry of punches at the oncoming laser beams. Though a single beam wouldn't hurt too badly the number of beams made the technique dangerous. His gloves created a red blur in front Image as he punched the oncoming lasers, dispersing them into multicolored sparks but despite his best efforts, the blue wolf was beginning to feel the sting of pain caused by lasers that made it past his offensive defense.

"Double Backhand." Image cursed at himself as a wall of wind formed all around him as he began his speedy revolution. He'd have to be ready; though he would survive the onslaught of lasers, Double Backhand would leave him exposed as he regained his balance.

Image slowed and as he composed himself he saw a yellow streak jump over him, felt as clawed hands gripped around his jaw, and sensed as the body attached to the arms rotated in midair. Though he experienced everything in slow motion, Image had no time to react as he was lifted off the ground, feet forced off the earth, and thrown toward pond.

Despite using all her strength, Asuka didn't quite get Image into the water but he did land hard on the ground in front of it. As Image wearily got to his feet, Asuka had already closed the distance she had created with her throw and as she had meant to earlier, spun through air and delivered a powerful kick to the upper body of Image. The blue Digimon flew backwards and crashed into the waterfall, destroying the already perilous footholds, before being peeled off the hard mountain by the falling stream and landing into the body of water below.

"I will be Asuka da Renamon," announced the yellow fox. "You are a stepping stone."

Beneath the water, Image heard Asuka's words, muffled as they were, and he was grateful to her for firing him up to continue the fight as well as giving him a shock to wake him out of his fatigue. Image brought his gloves together and began to concentrate

Above the water, Asuka felt the tingle of a cold breeze roll through her fur. "Image, stay down," she whispered. Opening her right palm, she created a yellow orb of dim light. As she continued to concentrate the pale yellow grew darker and then it became shinier until it was a golden orb of energy. "Golden Bullet," she yelled as she threw the orb at Image. The energy projectile broke the water's surface easily and surged toward Image at incredible speed. Asuka felt confident that the attack could win her the fight but she didn't believe the attack would hit.

"Cyclone Circus," said Image as he dodged the oncoming projectile. His lower body was surrounded by a gray twister that began to lift him higher while a dozen more vortexes formed in the air above him. The gold orb that had flown by him exploded against the stones behind him throwing water and rocks in the air, both of which disrupted his cyclones. Image jumped from one wind platform to the next but his footing wasn't as solid due to the added water and earth.

Asuka could see Image struggle but felt it was another feint due to how openly distraught he seemed. "More projectiles," she thought. Bringing her arms in front of her, she snapped them outward and then forward, razor sharp leaves digitizing around her as she did, "Leaf Blades" she yelled as the natural blades sliced through the air.

"Iron Fist," said the Gaomon as a gleam of light turned his red gloves silver. His right fist connected with the Leaf Blades and the leaves crumbled before the strength of Image's gloves. Asuka allowed her opponent to return to field, Image's gloves returning to red as he jumped off the final cyclone and onto the grassy field once more.

"You're better than I expected," admitted Asuka.

Image gave her a confused look. "Was that supposed to be a compliment?"

"I thought very highly of you so yes," she confirmed. Asuka regarded Image for a moment. The frontal assault wasn't working in her favor but that was alright as she had one more plan to fall back on. Turning around, Asuka dashed for the thick brush. "Image is a close combat warrior and that will be his downfall," she thought.

"Vacuum Fist," was all Asuka heard as the small of her back was caved in by a painful ball of wind that pulled a surprised yell from her mouth and sent her tumbling to the ground.

"I may only know one or two long range techniques but I am very good with them," said Image as he calmly walked toward his downed opponent, spinning his right arm as he did so. "Vortex Uppercut." Gray wind rose up beneath Asuka and tore at her body as she was forcefully lifted into the air and allowed to crash down a few feet away from Image but also, as she noted, a bit closer to the brush.

Standing, she made a diamond with her fingers once more but before she could say the name of her technique a second "Vacuum Fist" collided into her stomach, stealing her breath, and flinging her backwards and into the borderline of the brush.

"Not the way I had hoped but at least I made it," she thought as she coughed, trying to recapture her breath. Reaching down, Asuka placed her open palm on the thick root of the tree closest to her and willed her power into it. "Wild Vine," she spoke as branches and vines from tree's top burst forward at Image.

Realizing the strength of the oncoming limbs, Image became a blue blur once more as he unleashed a second "Double Backhand". He successfully fended off Asuka's attack but in doing so had allowed her to escape into the thick brush that would suit her more than him, something the Gaomon had begrudgingly accepted when he launched his countermeasure. Image cautiously walked into the small clearing within the brush, the thick canopy creating shade that was several degrees cooler than the rest of the arena.

"Leaf Blades!" The two words reverberated loudly.

Defiantly, Image put both fists up and spoke his challenge, "Iron Fist". A brilliant luster overtook the red gloves once more and made them shine with metallic flair. Image thought he was ready. He was mistaken.

The thickets of the forested area made for a dark corner in the arena and the faint beams of artificial light that shined through the canopy suddenly grew dark.

In her hiding place, Asuka smiled to herself. Much like with the root, she had used the available resources to empower her attack and what was once a flurry of ten or so leaves was now a rainstorm of finely honed, green blades. She watched on as her weapons of war flew through air.

The leaves fell on Image like a torrent. He had taken too long to realize the blossoming darkness was due to Asuka's attack and in a desperate defensive measure, Image brought his gloves close to his body, made himself small and hoped that he wouldn't be cut to pieces. What Asuka recognized as five seconds felt like five hours of excruciatingly painful rain to Image as he stood there, stuck in place, protecting his face with gloves that were becoming tattered and cut.

Asuka recognized her opening and as the last of her leaves fell she was already running towards her opponent's exposed back. Asuka jumped over Image, spinning her body in midair and stomped her feet into his stomach, her hands clawed into his shoulders. Then using the momentum she had already created, Asuka let herself fall backwards and used that force to toss Image over herself and into the air.

"Wild Vine," she said triumphantly as she touched another root. More wooden and grassy arms lashed out and wrapped themselves around Image's limbs. His arms and legs were forced open to leave his chest and abdomen exposed, his head was pulled back simultaneously exposing his neck and choking the air out of him, and his body was wrapped over multiple times by thorn covered vines that stabbed into the skin beneath his fur.

Image gasped for air as the silver coloring of his gloves died and returned to a red matching his still bloodshot eyes.

Asuka stomped at the ground and the black claws of her feet were surrounded by an aura that grew larger with golden light. She cracked her knuckles by making a fist and then opening her hands strongly, fingers outstretched and outlined with the same concentrated energy. The yellow of her fur sharpened and became glossy as it too took on a gold tint. She had made herself a living weapon. Asuka, determined to finish the match, jumped high into the air and while touching the claws of her hands and feet together, she stabbed into Image's prone body and then she remorselessly formed a giant X of light as she stretched her limbs out and away from each other ripping a terrible, shining scar onto the Gaomon's body. As she tore into Image, Asuka whispered the name of her technique: "Midday Assassination", and she felt the life within Image waver on the verge of death. The vines and branches that had trapped Image erupted into a green and brown cloud of debris. Asuka landed on the grass below, gold energy evaporating off her. She turned to see Image held in place by her golden X, a sad cloud of dust around him and for a moment more he was helplessly held there, but then the X burst and in a bright flash allowed the defenseless Gaomon to fall limply to the ground.

Image landed with an audible thud on a pile of roots.

A few moments passed but the Fledgling Knight didn't so much as twitch which prompted Grace de Rinkmon to make his way into the forest. "Image le Gaomon, if you can continue, please respond," commanded Grace, a concerned expression on the Knight's face. When the blue wolf failed to stir, Grace made his decision. "Image le Gaomon is unable to continue. As proctor of this graduation exam, I, Grace de Rinkmon, Knight of Venhea, declare this to be Asuka la Renamon's victory. Glory to Asuka da Renamon!"

The crowd erupted into loud cheers and for the first time Asuka heard them. She realized that she had been so concentrated that she hadn't noticed the excitement in the stands during the fight. She heard the jubilation now and it felt wonderful despite adrenaline wearing off and soreness settling in.

Turning back to her opponent, Asuka saw a few paramedics making their way onto the field to grab Image. Quickly placing him on a stretcher, they took the unconscious Beast Digimon away. Asuka looked up into the stands and saw the white faced, russet colored bird, Tempest de Aquilamon, Image's teacher. He had a stern look on his face that didn't exactly communicate disappointment but rather contemplation. Despite making eye contact with the Digimon who had defeated his pupil, Tempest simply nodded at her and walked away.

Feeling a familiar hand clasp tightly around her shoulder, Asuka's attention returned to reality and she found her own teacher there, his eyes smiling. "I knew you would do it."

Asuka nodded. "I really did it."

* * *

"Asuka la Renamon was a Fledgling Knight of Venhea. She had sacrificed much just to be given an opportunity but now all those sacrifices have honored her with a dream realized. Asuka la Renamon is no more, in her place is Asuka da Renamon, Knight of Venhea under his Majesty, Nelgod Zil Lucemon." Visler's voice boomed as he announced Asuka's promotion to Knighthood. "As with all Knights, Asuka da Renamon will now share personal words with our Sovereign. All rise and bow your heads for the arrival of our King, Nelgod Zil Lucemon!"

The enormous, gold-encrusted wooden doors of the beautiful cathedral they were in opened. All Digimon in attendance were standing, heads bowed and eyes closed as they had been commanded. A Digimon that looked like a fair-skinned child dressed in the finest of white cloth walked in through the open doors, his many pure-colored wings folded closely against his back. Nelgod, the King of Venhea, strode in with natural dignity as he slowly made his way to the raised platform within the cathedral. He smiled and where he recognized Digimon, he would stop, tap their shoulder and share a moment with those he particularly cared for.

After a few minutes, the King of Venhea finally arrived to stand next to Asuka and Visler. His voice shook the cathedral as he spoke, "All Digimon, open your eyes and be graced with the image of potential within a promising youth being realized." The Digimon within the large cathedral opened their eyes, their attention firmly focused on Nelgod, ears eagerly awaiting to hear more. "Today, one Digimon who had dedicated much of her life to training has finally achieved her dream. Though she had to best other Digimon, today shall not be a day of mourning for their failures but rather a night of celebration for the success of one of our own."

Cheers mixed in with clapping and whistling resounded throughout the cathedral. Asuka found herself drawn into Nelgod just as much as anyone. She was surprised to notice that Visler seemed stiff near Nelgod even after all his years as a Knight. The King might be of slight build, Asuka's lean forming standing at least a foot taller than him, but Nelgod's presence, if Visler's reaction was anything to go off of, clearly made him a giant that commanded attention.

"Asuka da Renamon, today Venhea shined her Glory down upon you," began Nelgod. "Now, I, Nelgod Zil Lucemon, King of Venhea and Master of Battle, bless you with all my love and welcome you into the Venhean Knighthood. What say you? Speak!"

Asuka fell to one knee, head bowed, eyes closed, and took a deep breath before announcing, "I accept your blessing. I embrace your love. I shall spread Venhea's glory. I will dedicate my life. I live to serve."

Asuka just barely managed to finish before the cathedral had erupted once more in sounds of merriment and celebration.

* * *

Visler and Asuka made it to Barracks the next morning, tired yet cheery from the festival like graduation party the night prior. Teacher and student walked side by side, one proud of the other, the other proud of herself. They looked at each other and chuckled as a wave of memories flooded their thoughts, happy times that had arisen from bad decisions. Even the generally serious Visler had been swept up in the fun chaos. That combined with a few too many drinks led to him kissing Hope da Gatomon, who she herself was known for a stern attitude as well. Best of all for him, earlier that morning, Visler had gotten her contact information and they had a date planned for the following weekend. All in all, it had been a fun night but now it was all business for Asuka, something she realized as she saw the regality of the Venhean Knight Barracks before her.

She'd walked by them many times but had never been allowed inside even with Visler present. After so long, it seemed surreal that she was finally going to be allowed access into the grand building. The Barracks could tower over almost all other buildings within the Venhean Kingdom and certainly dwarfed the buildings surrounding it. Twenty-One stories, each story standing twenty-one feet tall to compensate for the larger Knights, the Knight Barracks were massive. On either side of the front entrance doors was a Fledgling Knight; that made Asuka smile as she remembered she had stood guard many times in her sixth and seventh year of training, a year prior to becoming Visler's pupil. Two large towers framed the front entrance, with two more towers completing the square defense of the Barracks. On each tower stood a certified Knight watching over the younger Digimon while also keeping guard themselves.

The sheer size made the building imposing but it was the colors that truly added a royal air to the Barracks. Pearl white walls with glittering gold borders gave off a divine gleam. A golden V with a deep black left wing and pure white right wing atop a lavender triangle, the symbol of the Venhea Kingdom, sat across crimson banners that were proudly hung above the entrances in each of the four cardinal directions around the Barracks. Flags bearing the same symbol also stood gallantly atop each tower.

As Asuka and Visler approached the Barracks the two Fledglings, both Shamamon, on the ground opened the twin doors for them and bowed as they backed out of the Knights' way. Looking inside, Asuka's jaw dropped as she saw Nelgod zil Lucemon smiling back at her.

"Welcome. We need to talk."

* * *

Asuka sat awkwardly on the lavish couch next to her teacher. Having known Visler for such a long time, she could tell the star shaped Digimon wasn't expecting the visit either and was feeling rather uncomfortable. Nelgod on the other hand was casually preparing himself a drink, the very idea of which made Asuka's stomach turn as she had had more than enough alcohol for the rest of the year. After a few minutes of relentlessly suffocating silence, King Nelgod spoke.

"It's nice to see the two of you again so soon," the blonde-haired Digimon said as he took a seat opposite the teacher and student duo, crossing his legs and taking a sip of his drink as he did so. "Despite my somewhat lax attitude, I'm here with a rather important request for Venhea's newest Knight. Asuka, will you hear me out?"

Although she was stunned silent due to being given a choice, Asuka nodded her head a few times before finally managing to say, "y-yes, of course I will, Your Majesty."

While small and quick, Asuka noticed the slightest bit of a flinch from Nelgod when she used the honorific. She had heard that the King was humble to the core, something that seemed true, and Asuka approved fondly.

"Nel would work but I know you wouldn't dare, no one ever does so I hope you can at least settle for just calling me King, others are named King so I'll use it too," replied Nelgod, proving Asuka's earlier observation true. "Anyways, this deals with Visler as well. You see, Asuka, your teacher and the teacher of your opponent today were both selected for a mission of the highest importance, a mission that I want you to join."

Visler tensed visibly at Nelgod's words, catching the King's attention.

"I know she is young and still a relative novice but you two could use the extra power," said the Lucemon, blue eyes coolly observing Visler's body language.

Trying not to fidget, Visler struggled to find his words."T-that is true but we're going to be in the most dangerous place. Ironically, wouldn't it be safer if she were on the frontlines while Tempest and I were backed up by a more experienced Knight?"

Nelgod pondered that idea before shaking his head no. "Your student is promising and I'd like her to receive the experience of this mission but I suppose I can leave the decision up to her." Nelgod moved his crystal eyes to Asuka and asked once more, "are you still willing to hear me out, Knight Asuka?"

Admittedly a little concerned by Visler's reaction, Asuka hesitated for a moment before the pride of being called a "Knight" overpowered her worries. She was being given a decision so the least she could do was hear the whole story. "Yes, my King, I'd very much like to hear your request."

Nelgod raised two fingers on his right hand as he began to speak. "Two artifacts as old as the Digital World; one representing the Life-Giving ability of Yggdrasil, the other representing the Destructive ability of Yggdrasil, and both of them in my control." Nelgod lifted his glass to his mouth and downed the strong drink held within. "The Zero Unit is what allows me to control Digivolution and to an extent, the life of Digimon. Everything is well within the Zero Unit. Things are not so well with the opposite of the Zero Unit however. The Digital Hazard is a malicious program that I nearly died trying to contain. I succeeded in shutting down the Digital Hazard but something so powerful would not remain dormant forever and it is starting to become active once again."

Asuka felt a small bead of sweat on her brow. She had read about the Digital Hazard as part of her training. If any part of the stories and past research were true, she should distance herself as much as possible from the Digital Hazard.

"With the Digital Hazard coming back online, it can be weaponized into the ultimate source of destructive but that is a reality that I simply cannot allow to be realized." Nelgod crushed the glass in his left hand. "I've been hiding this from the citizens of Venhea but I share it with you now, Asuka da Renamon. Venhea is on the cusp of war with the Enlightened Islands over the possession of the Digital Hazard."

Asuka eyes hurt from wide they grew. She looked from Visler and back to the King hoping either would say that was a joke. "But the Drasil Accords clearly and sternly states that peace talks must be made first and any proclamations of war must wait until after the Drasil Summit."

"The Drasil Accords are ancient, outdated, and have overstayed their welcome . . . at least that's what many of its opponents state," offered Visler.

"The Enlightened Islands would still suffer for this. Surely, we would receive aid from some of other nations, wouldn't we?" asked Asuka, her voice alluding to only some of the frenzied chaos going on within her head.

Nelgod rubbed the bridge of his nose as he tried to calm himself. The King of Venhea had gone over the logic and every scenario possible multiple times, Asuka on the other hand was caught unprepared and slapped with the idea of war so he could not expect her to know any better.

"Mordecai Zil Vamdemon of the Blood Empire is too caught up in the power plays of his underlings. Even if the war was raging outside his own castle walls, he would never notice. Nirvana Zi Sanzomon is too smart to interfere in a pointless war so Haven, despite being the most powerful nation, is a nonfactor. None of the other Drasil Accord nations had any significant power. That leaves Venhea and the Enlightened Islands with just enough time to waste innocent lives." Nelgod stood up and furiously started pacing the room. "As Knight Visler said, there are some in power who do not agree with the Drasil Accords any longer and a war between two of the Four Great Nations with opposing views of the Accords would go a long way in gaining or losing favor for those very Accords. Knight Asuka, I've considered everything and I have decided on this one plan. Two specially created Digimon will go to where the Digital Hazard is currently locked away. One of those Digimon will have the Zero Unit fused with his Digicore and that additional power will give him the boost needed to fuse the Digital Hazard with the Digicore of the second Digimon. The bearer of the Digital Hazard will suffer for the entire Digital World and it will be his honor. Will you help me destroy one Digimon's life for the sake of every other Digimon?" Nelgod whispered the last of his words with such intensity he might as well have been screaming. By this point; the stress of a potential war was clearly weighing on the normally calm leader of Venhea.

Asuka tried to gain a handle on everything she had just been told. So many consequences, helping to essentially end a life she had sworn to protect. There was one important thing to consider however and that was that her teacher, Visler, had agreed. If he felt this was the best course of action, she would believe in him and his opinion. "I'll do it. I'll help seal the Digital Hazard. I'll do it even if means sacrificing an innocent life."

The love that Nelgod felt towards all Venhean's betrayed him as he became emotional. Knowing that he was throwing a life away, he choked on his words. His sadness deprived him of the ability verbally express his gratitude towards Asuka and her promise to ruin a life for the sake of all and so the troubled King simply mouthed the words, "thank you" as he bowed his head and allowed tears to fall from his eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Innocence

Asuka went straight to her new room in the Knight Barracks after the conversation with Nelgod. A couple hours later she was sitting on her bed with the threat of war and the fact that she'd have to make a young Digimon suffer for the sake of everyone else making her stomach turn. At her core, Asuka truly believed the Knights were servants for the good of all Digimon within the Venhea Kingdom and this made her hate that Venhea would sacrifice one of her own sons. The only solace she had was in knowing that the young Digimon wouldn't have to suffer that miserable life for the foreseeable future. There was still time for peace negotiations and even for alternative methods to sealing the Digital Harzard to be found.

"It's not my place to judge regardless," thought Asuka, scolding herself for thinking she knew better than the leaders of the Kingdom.

"It's not our place to judge, Asuka," came a muffled voice from behind the sturdy looking, wooden door out of her room. She could tell who it was and was happy to hear someone like-minded to herself echo her sentiments.

"Agreed," she replied with a sigh. "Come in, Teach . . . Knight Visler," responded Asuka, correcting her address midsentence.

"Visler works just fine during informal meetings like these," said the Starmon with a chuckle as he entered Asuka's room. Despite the jovial tone, Asuka recognized the somber look in his eyes. A familiar gleam lit up his expression after he did a quick one over of her room.

Much to the veteran Knight's surprise, Asuka had been able to unpack and organize everything in the two hours since they had met with Nelgod. A large, warm-looking cream colored rug covered the otherwise cold, wooden floor. The white walls were framed by light-brown barriers; while their faces were covered with intricately painted, exotic designs.

"I'm impressed that you managed so much," noted Visler, the Starmon giving a few small nods of approval as he said so.

"Unpacking and preparing everything to my liking was a welcome distraction." Asuka stood and made her way over to Visler. She grabbed her former teacher by the hand and pulled him over to the leather couch off to their right. She made herself comfortable as she released his hand. Visler took the seat next to her and they sat in silence.

After a few minutes and a deep sigh, Visler began to speak. "Asuka, this is an important mission. Rather than worry over the morality of the task at hand, take pride in the fact that you were selected at all."

Asuka pulled a creamy leather pillow over her chest and buried her face into it. Lifting her head just enough to be understood, she replied, "I know it's not my place but the fact that I must meet the one to be sacrificed. I became a Knight to be a shield, not to hide behind the Digimon I swore to protect. Moreover, the Digimon is currently a Baby level and if he is a Child by the time the mission starts we'll be lucky. It's not my place but-"

"But nothing, Asuka," interrupted Visler, his green eyes stern. "Don't become arrogant just because your title has changed and I don't just mean that in relation to the decision makers. The Digimon who will bear the Digital Hazard may be young but do not underestimate his will to protect others. That would dishonor him."

Frustrated but understanding Visler's words, Asuka took a moment to compose herself. Here she was talking about age when she herself was only a Child level as well, despite her Knight status. "Understood. You're right," she responded. "If nothing more, I'm glad that you will be there. Knight Tempest too."

Visler twitched at the mention of the bird Digimon and looked away. Asuka knew her former mentor well enough to catch the subtle, nervous movement and called him out on it.

"Why the twitch?" she asked, blue eyes shining with curiosity.

Visler stood to leave but Asuka grabbed at his arm. Grunting, the Starmon tried to peel the fox Digimon off of himself. Coming to the conclusion that she would not let go without an answer, Visler let himself fall back on to the leather couch they had been sharing. Bending forward in his seat, he intertwined his fingers and stared intently at the floor, trying to come to a decision.

After more moments of silence, Visler turned in his seat to look at Asuka. Grabbing her by her shoulders, Visler spoke quietly but with purpose. "Listen closely, Asuka. I will say this only once: Tempest de Aquilamon is not to be trusted. During the mission, watch your back and mine, I promise to do the same for you. Speak of this to no one for you never know who is a snitch or a spy or a traitor." Visler released Asuka and stood. "Alright, well, here you are," he said as he materialized a scroll. "This is the breakdown of the mission as well as details on the program we will be using to seal the Digital Hazard. On the off chance anything happens to either Tempest or myself, you will act as backup so please study the program and memorize even the smallest details."

Asuka, slack jawed, stared at Visler. She regained her composure and responded confidently, "Of course. Thank you."

Visler nodded his head and made his way to the door. He looked back, nodded again, and then walked through the doorway and into the hall, closing the door behind him. The solid thud of the thick door hung in the air. Asuka wished that Visler could have told her more. In frustration she moved from the couch and returned to her freshly made bed and allowed the exhaustion of the morning to flow over her. It was only noon but she deserved a nap. Sleep came easily for her.

* * *

 _Knock Knock Knock_

"Who could that be?" thought Asuka, tiredly. She looked at the clock near her bed; three hours had gone by which wasn't all that bad. "I suppose its time to get back to work," she decided as she got out of bed to open the door.

More knocking started but Asuka cut it off after the second one sounded. She opened the door and her frightened eyes scanned up the powerful, avian body of Knight Tempest. He had large, sharp talons, burgundy feathers gleaming with controlled rage, a proud white face marked with scar designs around his eyes and jagged, demonic horns framing his war-torn yellow beak.

His baritone voice echoed loudly in Asuka's room. "Knight Asuka, pardon the interruption, clearly you've been, and are still, very busy," said the large bird Digimon as he inched into the smaller Renamon's room.

"Knight Tempest, what brings you by so . . . unexpectedly?" managed Asuka.

"I wouldn't say this is an unexpected visit," boomed his voice once more, "after all we are on the same mission. Or at least we will be once we receive the order. If I can be blunt, I'm here because I want to get to know you better. In preparation for the mission of course." Tempest managed another small step into Asuka's room.

Recognizing the losing battle, Asuka moved to the side and made a motion with her hands as to welcome Tempest in. The large avian entered. "Thank you, I promise I won't be long."

"Well, have a seat if you'd like," offered Asuka despite the uncomfortable situation.

"Thank you, but standing is just fine for me. First off, let me just say congratulations on your Knighthood."

Asuka froze as she remembered that Tempest, whether he was a threat to her or not, already had a reason to dislike Asuka, that being that she defeated his student. "Um, thank you. How is Image doing?"

This time it was Tempest who seemed unprepared for the question as his booming voice softened for a moment. "Disappointed but he'll get over it. Anyways, that's not why I'm here. I just wanted to get to know you better. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

She did mind but he was already inside her room so what else could she do but oblige the bird Digimon? "No, not all. Ask away," replied Asuka with her best fake smile.

"Excellent. First question, why did you decide to become a Knight?"

Without hesitation, the strong-willed fox delved into her reasoning. "For the same reason that I hope all Knights decided to join the Knighthood. I became a Knight to protect the weak. Modest upbringing or not, as a Baby level I was constantly told that I had a lot of potential. It would have been a waste to have been anything other than Knight when Yggdrasil so clearly made me a warrior for good. I started young and I'm glad I followed my instinct because there is nothing better than the feeling that you made a difference in another Digimon's life."

Tempest's sharpened eyes were glaring at Asuka. "How are you so sure you were made a warrior for good?" he asked, ignoring what Asuka felt was an important part of her answer.

"Because my will is to protect others, not hurt them," responded Asuka, puffing her chest out at him. "That counts as question number two. I don't mean to be rude, Knight Tempest but I am busy. You said a few questions and I take "a few" to mean "three" so I will answer one more before I must ask you to leave."

The eyes of the large bird jerked a little in what Asuka guessed was irritation. "Very well." Tempest bent down considerably to get to eye level with Asuka. "Tell me, how close are you to Knight Visler de Starmon?"

Visler's earlier warning about Tempest rang in Asuka's ears at that moment. Her expression never changed but internally, Asuka thought, "I will not become a weapon to be used against my teacher".

"If I must be honest, not very close," she told Tempest, once more displaying her acting ability as she looked off to the side, trying to show an emotionally hurt expression. "He's not a fan of how I fight, he says I'm not ruthless enough." Asuka smiled on the inside. The best way to lie was to mix a truth in with the actual lie. While she was very close to Visler, he did always say that she was too soft on her opponents.

Tempest regarded her for a moment more before closing his eyes and returning to his tall, upright position. "I see. Well, thank you very much, that is all I needed to know. If it matters to you at all, Knight Visler and I are going to go meet the Digimon Martyr later if you'd like to join us."

Asuka flinched at the word "martyr". "Please don't speak as if his death is a certainty," she whispered, more from sadness at the idea, not from fear of being mocked by Tempest. "I will meet him later, after I finish here. Please, Knight Tempest, if you could," she said motioning to her still open door.

"Thank you again for your time, Knight Asuka," came Tempest's deep voice once more before he walked through the open doorway and down the hall.

Asuka closed the door shut and bolted it locked. With her back to the door, she slid down its length into a seated position. "We're not killing him. He wants to do his part too." She clenched her fists, stoop up to dust herself and walked on over to her small desk and began studying the mission plan.

* * *

The sun had set before Asuka had bothered to check the time again. Content with her grasp on the mission and the necessary sealing program, at least for her first exposure to the plan, she made her way out of the Knight Barracks and into the city. As she walked Asuka passed many familiar sites; a bakery she frequented, a library where she'd study with friends, a park she used to play at when she was smaller, all things that made her all the prouder to be a Knight because that meant she was defending all those things for future generations. Remembering her destination, Asuka grew a bit more somber, her blue eyes losing some of their hopeful light as a part of her enthusiasm dimmed.

She walked up to a massive, white building with the words "Binary Building" emblazoned in gold above the large, glass double doors. Asuka hadn't been to the Binary Building since her last physical which was more than a year ago; she attributed her impressed reaction to the fact that it had been so long.

The Binary Building was the epicenter of information in all the Digital World, something made clear as soon as one took a step through the front door. Chrome shined everywhere not made of glass, holograms for current inventions being designed or weapons that were to be tested soon were projected by floating spheres. A single chrome sphere with the numbers "01" approached Asuka and asked her what the reason for her visit was.

"Knight Asuka da Renamon, here to meet with subject 6-U-1-L," she told the sphere.

"Very well, follow me please," came the robotic drum of the sphere's voice. The sphere began to float away from Asuka leading her forward and occasionally changing directions, the glass on the walls acted as screens further showing different advancements made possible due to the Binary Building as well as occasionally showing off an award or two.

"We have arrived, thank you very much," said the sphere. Without giving Asuka a chance to thank it, the sphere fell to the floor and down through a hole that opened up at the last second. Though she had never felt the upward movement, Asuka knew that she was likely on one of the higher levels of the Binary Building due to how relatively long her walk had been.

The previously dark glass in front of her was illuminated and on the glass the words "Biological Testing Area" could be seen. Taking a deep breath, Asuka took a few steps forward and the glass doors opened to welcome her in.

She immediately heard a voice that made her smile.

"I'm glad you could make it."

Asuka was glad that Visler hadn't left just yet. "I didn't want the start of the mission to be the first time we met. Besides, I prepared all day and this seemed like a nice way to relax."

The Starmon turned the corner he was hiding behind, a large pile of dirty towels in his arms. "I wouldn't say this is exactly a relaxing place but you can definitely find a way to feel good here just by helping out."

"Since when do you help out in BTA?" asked Asuka as she came up to Visler to take a few of the towels from him.

"Since I developed a crush on Knight Hope a few months back. She's a doctor here," he explained quite proudly, "and I have a date with her tonight."

"Strong and smart and somehow ended up with you. Poor girl," teased Asuka.

"I'm a catch, you just can't tell because you haven't matured into a real woman yet," Visler shot back prompting Asuka to throw a towel in his face. "Stop it, that's dirty!"

"You deserve it."

They shared a laugh but as they calmed down they both remembered the main reason they were there. "Did you meet him already?" asked Asuka.

"Them. Subject C-A-7-U or rather Archie is here too. He'll bear the Zero Unit, which in contrast will give him a much easier life. Anyways, yeah, I had actually met them a few weeks back when they initially came in. Good kids, brave too. I love them both, makes the whole idea seem even worse to me." Visler went over to the clean counter on their right. Asuka joined him and together they folded all the towels.

A chrome sphere popped out of a hole in the floor and floated over to them. "Next time, please don't trouble yourself with the folding, I can do that," it said before spraying the towels with a colorless liquid. "All done, thank you." Just like the one from before, this sphere disappeared before either Knight had a chance to say anything to it.

"Like I said, I finally have my first date with Hope so I have to get going or I'm not going to get a chance to shower. You know how Gatomon can get when they're angry and I already missed out on points for forgetting her birthday because I was so focused on your graduation to Knighthood."

Asuka gave Visler an incredulous look. "Don't blame your relationship troubles on me. You should have set some kind of reminder."

"Good Drasil, whatever, I'm gonna go get her some flowers," replied Visler. "Anyways, the two kids are in room 6. Go see them before they're taken off to sleep. They're the early to bed type."

"Will do. Thanks and have fun on your date."

"Good night, Asuka."

Visler walked through the doorway and disappeared.

* * *

"Thank you very much for coming to see us, Miss Asuka" said the two Baby Digimon in unison almost before Asuka even finished introducing herself. Innocent joy and elation at being visited covered their faces in the form of a smile that went ear to ear.

Asuka stood, frozen in place by her guilt, and offered the best smile she could. "I'm just happy that I caught you two before you were off to bed. Knight Visler told me you both go to sleep early," she managed with a small chuckle as she tried to regain her composure.

The tiny, white Digimon looked up at Asuka, his big green eyes twinkling at Asuka as he matter-of-factly explained that, "sometimes I like to stay up late but Valor pointed out that we would be a lot less trouble to everyone by heading to bed early. He's really smart that way."

The little red dragon walked over on his stumpy little legs and glowed with pride at the praise. "It's really nothing," he said in a voice that was more of a squeak than anything else, much less the growl typically associated with Dramon and Dinosaur Digimon. "It's just everyone does so much for us already, going to bed early seems like an easy way to help them."

The white Digimon scratched the little purple tips of his ears before his expression changed as he remembered something. "Oh goodness, I'm sorry. We haven't introduced ourselves. I'm Archive le Calumon but I prefer just being called Archie."

"Oh, and I'm Valor le Gigimon," offered the red dragon, his wing-like ears fluttering excitedly. "You probably already knew that but Mr. Visler said we should learn to be proper gentle-mons for when we get out of here."

Asuka felt so many different emotions wash over her. These two Baby Digimon were created inside the Binary Building sent off to another lab for fine tuning and then returned for the specific reason of becoming vessels of powers too great to be left out in the world. These two young Digimon deserved be pampered and that everything would be alright and yet here they were, barely able to feed themselves and already they were worrying about others. She wasn't sure if it was maturity or innocence but either way, both Archie and Valor were kindhearted and neither deserved the lives they were destined for; Valor for what would be a painful and lonely existence, and as Asuka was beginning to understand, an existence of being a target and being manipulated for Archie.

"We're really sorry, Miss Asuka," said Archie.

"We didn't mean to make you cry. We're sorry for whatever we did," apologized Valor.

"What? No, sorry you guys, this wasn't you," replied Asuka as she used one arm to wipe away the few tears that had formed. "You see all this yellow fur, sometimes it gets in my eyes. You guys wouldn't make me cry, I've been so excited to see you two, to meet you."

The double doors behind Asuka slid open and in walked a bipedal cat Digimon, golden ring hanging lazily on her long tail. "I apologize, Knight Asuka but I'm afraid something came up in Archie's recent scans. I'm going to have to borrow both of them and they are to be off to bed right afterwards."

Asuka immediately recognized the doctor. "Knight Hope, please, could I have just five minutes with them. I just got here and I'd like to spend a little more time with them if possible," she explained to the Gatomon.

"Please, when we are here, I'm Dr. Hope, Knight Asuka and as these two are my patients, I will do what I think is in their best interest. I'm very sorry but you can come visit again some other-".

"What you are scanning them for? I mean, really. After all, what you are preparing them for is not in their best interest," interrupted Asuka. "You know that and deep down they know that too."

Hope's eyes were wide with disbelief but as she gathered herself her stare began to stab into Asuka. They both realized that Asuka had crossed a line, Asuka had spoken out of turn and said something she shouldn't have, much less in front of the children.

"I will not prevent you from coming back to see these children, Knight Asuka but going forward our relationship is simple: when we are here, I say something and you do it, out there, you do not come near me. Understood?"

Asuka swallowed and nodded, the tension having increased dramatically.

"Good. Archie, Valor, let's go. I'll be running the tests myself today but if possible, I'd still like to make a previous engagement I had set up."

Archie and Valor began walking after the already striding Gatomon. "She's nicer once you get to know her," whispered Archie.

Valor walked behind Archie with a playful smile on his face. "Archie only thinks that because he's her favorite. Come back soon, I want to be someone's favorite."

"Okay, I promise," she said as they continued to follow Dr. Hope. "And for the record, you're both my favorite, I can already tell," she called after them. Even though she couldn't see it, both Baby Digimon smiled.

* * *

Asuka decided not to go back to the Barracks immediately. Instead she had gone out for a drink to calm her nerves after the visit. Her left hand was trembling, her legs were restless, and she rubbed at her temples as a small headache settled into her skull. She just sat there at the counter feeling like a mess as a Roachmon dried two glasses with his four arms.

"I hope this seat is not taken," came a deep voice from behind her.

"Help yourself," she mumbled back.

A relatively large Digimon sat down next to her. His shirtless body was covered in scars, the rough looking skin contrasted greatly with his soft-looking golden mane.

"Roa, the usual for me, please," called the Leomon.

The Roachmon bartender nodded and set the glasses down as he began going into a cupboard to grab what he needed. A few seconds later, Roa had placed the drink in front of the Leomon. The Leomon in turn reached for his pockets which prompted Roa to put his hands up and shake his head no.

"Your Bits are no good here," he said before returning to his far corner to wash and dry more glasses.

Asuka was curious as to why but didn't feel it was her place to ask.

"He was robbed and beaten three years. I caught the Digimon who did it to him and locked him up," explained the Beast Man Digimon. "You had an interested look on your face."

"I suppose I did. Asuka da Renamon," she said introducing herself, immediately thinking of Archie and Valor as she did.

Reaching out with his much larger hand, the gold-haired Digimon introduced himself as well. "Pride de Leomon. Nice to meet you."

Asuka wanted to kick herself. How did she not recognize the leader of one of the more famous Knight groups within Venhea. "Knight Pride, I'm so sorry for not recognizing you sooner."

Pride stopped her with an open palm in front of her face. "I don't want that, I don't need it. Go back to acting the way you did before you knew who I was. This is a bar, I'm normal here." He lifted his glass and downed the entire drink without being fazed.

Asuka gave him a somewhat critical look at how easily he had finished his drink.

"Okay, I don't deserve that look either. It was Apple Cider, I don't drink," he offered in his own defense. "You must have had a rough night though, you just seem to be looking for trouble."

A smirk snuck its way onto Asuka's lips. "How so?"

"You allowed a stranger to sit right next to you when there are plenty of other stools open, you were nosing in on other people's business in a bar, and then you give a judgmental look at someone you just met without knowing anything other than my occupation."

"You got me, what's your point?" she asked.

"My point is that we're both Knights and if you wanted to get into a fight, all you had to do was say so," he explained standing up. "Finish your drink, we're gonna go start a fight."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Restless Knights

Asuka was impressed by Pride's speed and leaping ability. For such a large body he was also surprising agile; that was made clear as they both quietly jumped from rooftop to rooftop.

"Where exactly are we going?" she called to the leading Knight.

Looking over his shoulder, Pride gave a smile full of sharpened teeth, "going to stop a robbery."

"And you said I was looking for trouble. How do you even know a robbery is going to happen?"

"It's just a hunch," he responded as he pointed to his nose. Pride slowed as they came upon a large black gap in between two buildings. "Down," he whispered. "You still in?"

"Of course," replied Asuka as she jumped down ahead of Pride.

Landing silently on all fours, Asuka scanned the dimly lit area as best she could but it was too difficult to see much. "Scent on the Wind," she said internally, her sense of smell immediately being heightened to the point that she smelled a moldy odor that would be more than a few yards away.

Beside her, Pride landed just as quietly, his large blue eyes shining as they refracted what little light existed within the alley. His nose scrunched up for a moment as he too used the "Scent on the Wind" technique. Then, in a voice so quiet Asuka couldn't believe she had made out every word, Pride whispered, "Mushmon Gang, jewel thieves, scared them out of town last time but I caught their scent earlier."

"They won't escape this time," thought Asuka as she nodded her understanding to her large Leomon companion.

Pride motioned with his head to get moving around the corner. Both Beast Man Digimon stopped just short of being out in plain view. Peeking, they saw the thieves. Five Mushmon, four looking normal while the fifth had a unique look. A dark red mushroom cap with blue rings, rather than the normal purple and yellow, crowned his head and he wore green gloves and boots instead of the typical magenta.

"What's with the red Mush?" asked Asuka.

"That's Vinny. He's the leader of Mushmon Gang. Don't underestimate the little guy, he's ruthless."

Just as Pride finished his warning, they both saw Vinny slap one of his underlings to the ground. He barked an order and the standing foot soldiers began to kick and stomp their downed ally. A chill went up Asuka's spine as she felt Vinny concentrate energy a split second before a sickly green light began gathering in his palm.

"What is he doing?" she asked.

Pride growled back, "what he does best. Teaching the rest not to mouth off."

* * *

Vinny smiled with cruel delight as he looked down at the trembling Digimon. "Well, Ado, it was nice knowing you but you need to watch your aim if you plan on shooting off that mouth of yours. Not that that will be a problem from now on."

"Boss, please. I said I'm sorry. You don't gotta do this," begged the hurt Mushmon. "I'm still a good underling, lapse of judgement, I'll never snitch again," pleaded Ado, his magenta gloves spread open in front of his face, trying desperately to defend himself.

"Boss Vinny, maybe we can . . ."

"Shut your mouth, Moro, and the rest of you for that matter," snapped Vinny. "Let this be a lesson to all of you. Cross me at your own peril. Now open that loose lipped mouth one more time you traitorous little turd."

When Ado refused Vinny stomped his gut and commanded the others to force his mouth open and hold him down. Moro was in tears.

"Mon up, Moro. You chose this life and everything it entailed. Now watch closely my children, a traitor's death." Vinny slowly lowered the green mushroom bombs. He put the index finger of his free hand up to his lips and shushed the weeping Ado. "You have ambition, Ado, you were going places but you decided that you wanted to be one of the goods guys from now on. Unfortunately you made your move too soon. I'll let Big Boss Trent know you were trash and he'll order the death of your family, can't spread that traitor DNA after all. Now, Mush Bomb."

Vinny clamped his open palm over Ado's mouth and pushed his explosives down Ado's throat. "Let's go, boys, before the Knight he sold us out to shows up." The Mush Bomb detonated after the four had walked a few steps away from Ado. Ado's face exploded outward, data bleeding from his downed body before it completely digitized, the Digimon deleted.

* * *

Asuka and Pride watched as the bomb went off inside Ado's head and plastered his data all over his surroundings. The Mushmon never looked back except for one that was in tears.

"Why didn't we do anything about that?" asked Asuka angrily as she looked down at Pride's clawed hand clamped tightly around her forearm.

"We did nothing for the greater good. Ado did one good thing with his life and that was informing me that they were coming back into town. He still deserved to die as much as Vinny does."

"But going like that, doesn't that seem harsh?"

"If the bad guy knows that he or she will get to die in a painless way, we lose the mighty weapon of fear," retorted Pride as he released Asuka from his vice. "You just saw Vinny's true colors. I expect you know what to do now."

"He shouldn't die just so I can release my pent up frustrations," she fired back, almost yelling.

Pride put his large hand over Asuka's mouth, his strength terrifying her. "Keep your voice down. And no, you're right, he should not die to make you feel better. Vinny should die so that he can no longer victimize innocent Digimon. Stay here or follow me, I don't care which but Vinny dies tonight."

Asuka regarded the well-respected Knight and wondered if his personality was well known. She questioned if that was the reason he was awarded so much praise or if he hid his true personality to allow such praise. He had a point however, Vinny and his gang were too dangerous to be allowed free.

"Lead the way," she begrudgingly said.

* * *

Pride and Asuka followed Vinny and his gang for almost an hour. They ended up in the Loraf Woods outside of Venhea Imperia, capital city of Venhea. The trees, while not particularly thick, were causing a bit of trouble for the Knights due to the darkness and having to stay far enough back as to not be caught. Furthermore, the woods had plenty of different fungi and others molds growing making the scents of the Mushmon harder to lock on to.

Mercifully, Vinny and his gang finally arrived at a small hut that a passing glance would lead any Digimon to believe it had been long abandoned. The four thieves made their way into the refuge.

"We know where they're hiding, what now?"

Pride stared back with cold, blue eyes. "We wait one hour. Let them get comfortable, drop their guard and maybe even go to sleep. Then we pounce and clean up the trash."

"Okay."

Asuka had lost track of time many minutes ago but Pride seemed as focused as ever on the house. Before boredom or weariness could overtake her, Asuka broke the silence that had fallen over her and her fellow Knight.

"So, is this what the Justice Club is all about?"

Without turning his head, Pride replied, "Yes. There is a reason that we are a small Knight Group. There aren't many Knights who see things the way we do."

"You have to admit that your methods, means, and ends are a bit on the extreme side."

"My methods are no more extreme than those used by the bad guys."

Sighing, Asuka asked what she felt would be a question Pride asked himself regularly. "If you are willing to use their methods, what makes you any better than them?"

Confused, but still not turning his head, Pride asked, "What?"

"What makes you better than the bad guys? If you act the same and use the same methods, what makes you better?"

"We in the Justice Club don't, I don't, target the weak and innocent. That simple," snarled the lion warrior. "Why are you so concerned? Your teacher has similar beliefs which is why we occasionally ask for his help. He gets it and I don't see why you don't. I thought he would have taught you that some Digimon simply don't deserve to live."

Asuka wanted to slap Pride but thought better of it and just glared up at him. "Don't put words into his mouth." She noticed that his gaze was still concentrated on the house. "And don't ignore me either."

"Asuka, get down," ordered Pride ignoring her words as he grabbed the much smaller Digimon and brought her to his chest as he dropped low to the ground.

Two Mushmon walked by their location though at least twenty feet away.

"A patrol unit. Vinny looks to have grown his forces since I last saw him. I should have made sure he was dead last time."

"Well the plan is to make sure he doesn't get away this time. Let's get this over with." said an annoyed Asuka as she wriggled her way out of Pride's grip and swiftly ran on all fours towards the guards, the tall grass in combination with her slender form camouflaging her perfectly under the dark sky. "Paralysis Point," she whispered in the ears of the Mushmon right before giving the back of their heads an open palm strike. The two guards collapsed to the ground. "Come on, Pride, they won't bother us for at least an hour. Let's make this quick."

"Why didn't you just kill them?" he questioned as he ran by their limp forms.

"Well, we don't know for sure that they are all terrible. What if these two are just kids who are still redeemable?"

Pride nodded. "Good call, lead the way."

Asuka continued her advance towards the hut with Pride at her heels. Though more humanoid in body type, Pride did find a suitable crouching position to allow him to hide in the tall grass, though nowhere near as well as Asuka.

Pulling up close to a window, Asuka peered inside to see Vinny carving a wooden figurine of a Palmon. He finished and admired his handiwork as one of his grunts complimented him on his craftsmanship. Vinny stabbed the figurine and then broke the head off, letting out a sadistic laugh as he did so. He said something that Asuka assumed was misogynistic and that drew a laugh from his fellow Mushmon.

"You're still an extremist but in this case, you may not be wrong that this Digimon needs to be put down," Asuka offered.

"I'll go around the house and attack them from behind. Back me up once I'm in," he said as he fought to keep a triumphant grin off his face.

"Will do," she confirmed.

As Pride rounded the corner, Asuka did something she knew would anger him: she materialized her Digivice and called for backup. To her surprise, Image le Gaomon was the one to answer her call. He promptly promised to send support to her location and assured her that tracking her Digivice would be easy. Hanging up, Asuka returned her attention to inside the hut just in time to see Pride burst through door and crush a Mushmon with the force of his barehanded grip.

"Attack him, you idiots," shouted Vinny as he almost fell out of his leather chair.

The Mushmon did just that they began throwing different colored mushrooms at Pride. He in turn adeptly dodged the oncoming projectiles and closed the distance between himself and the closest of the Mushmon surrounding him.

Asuka's heart sank when she saw the glimmer of cold steel being unsheathed. The two thieves nearest Pride were cut by the same horizontal slash he used to draw his weapon. One fungi fighter a few feet to Pride's left was throwing toxic looking mushrooms which Pride deflected using the broad side of his blade before using a reverse-grip upswing to vertically slice the assailant. Three Mushmon that had been playing cards seconds earlier charged Pride but the comparatively giant Leomon crushed the middle attacker under his powerful heel, caught the one on his right with his corresponding arm and crushed him in the same way he did the door attendant, and then brought his mighty sword down through the head of the final Mushmon, the tip of the weapon poking out of the bottom of the Child Digimon, before lifting the data covered blade out of the now dead Digimon, allowing the body to collapse lifeless to floor. Asuka stood in horror as she saw three other Mushmon try to run towards a side door but their beeline made an easy target for Pride's "Fist of the Beast King" attack; the powerful energy lion burned the would be escapees to death. It had all happened so fast but in the wake of all the murder, time had slowed. Asuka regarded her hands and questioned why she'd done nothing though she was also a Knight. Time resumed as she looked up to see nine bursts of data evaporate into nothingness. Only Vinny and one other Mushmon remained. The young Digimon was cowering on the floor. Pride calmly walked to him and stabbed the young Mushmon through the face. Asuka hadn't moved and couldn't if she wanted to, fear and guilt freezing her in place.

"It's your turn, Vinny."

The Mushmon Kingpin laughed. "I don't think so. Where things die and rot, fungus grows. Be reborn my fungi fighters, Bacteria Rebirth."

Just as Vinny had foretold, tiny mushroom caps that had been left over grew with data and new Mushmon were born.

"I learned plenty of new tricks since the last time we ran into each other, Pride. This time, you're the one who loses except I'm not stupid enough to let you leave here alive."

Though she hadn't yet processed everything that had happened, Asuka realized she had to end this quickly. She rushed through the doorway and silently strode up behind Vinny. "Paralysis Point."

"Stupid kids, I tell you," said Vinny as he suddenly turned around, caught Asuka's wrist and brought her arm behind her back, the pain of which made her drop to one knee. "This your backup? She's barely old enough to swim without an adult and you bring her here of all places. Just stupid, Pride," mocked Vinny from his place behind Asuka.

"Not when I can take care of myself," retorted Asuka. She jumped and did a midair cartwheel to relieve the pressure on her arm and as she was airborne she landed a heavy kick to Vinny's face prompting the Mushmon to reel back in pain.

Vinny spit red, damaged data from his mouth. "Bitch, I'll kill you myself!" Vinny said with an aggressive laugh. He stretched his hand out to catch the lithe Renamon but missed her by a few inches. "Get them, you idiots!" Vinny commanded with frustration. As he turned to look for his warriors, he saw that Pride had killed all of them once more. "When you want something done right," began Vinny as an eerie green aura beginning to outline his body.

"Asuka get away from him," ordered Pride in a panic.

Not wanting to risk any unnecessary injury, Asuka listened to Pride and retreated back towards him.

"Smart move. A lot smarter than your stupid plan to come here into my home and screw with my plans," spat Vinny. "Too late now. I have a gang of fifty Mushmon not including the trash you already dealt with, and me, well me, I'm worth one hundred no, one thousand of these useless brats."

Data began to swirl around Vinny as the green aura grew in size.

"What in the Dark Area is going on?" asked Asuka, worry plain on her face.

Pride looked down at her a concerned look on his face. "He's Digivolving."

Asuka returned her attention to Vinny. His body sank to the floor as his legs seemed to melt away. His dirty, cream-colored skin took a sickly green color and his mouth grew out in front of him giving him a beak with short, sharp teeth running its length. Vinny's arms lost their shape and elongated into long, thick vines. His red mushroom cap transformed into a headdress that seemed to be made of feathers that started off red and went through a gradient that ended at blue tips.

"Mushmon Digivolve to Zassoumon. Time to die," warned the transformed Vinny, his face contorted in a vile smile made more threatening by his thin, red eyes. "Wild Vine."

His vine-like arms grew furiously and lashed out at Pride and Asuka. Asuka became a yellow blur as she dodged to the side. Pride stood his ground and caught the powerful arms of Vinny.

"Asuka, his is a forced Digivolution. It's a sprint for him, tire him out."

"You'll find that I have plenty of stamina," challenged Vinny. He made waves with his long arms, his rough skin scraping Pride's body and forcing him to release his grip. "Cactus Crusher." Vinny's arms became thicker and developed large spikes as he swung them outward. Bringing his dangerous arms together her crushed everything before him.

Pride blocked one arm with his Shishioumaru. Asuka however slid underneath the arm that was sweeping towards her. With nothing stopping the momentum filled hammer, the cactus like arm of Vinny slammed into the Leomon and drew a pained groan from him.

"Terrible team work," laughed Vinny. "Acid Spit." True to the name, Vinny fired small bullets of green and red acid at Asuka. She reacted with her Leaf Blades attack but they did nothing to stop the Zassoumon's attack and she fell to the floor as her skin was eaten away by acid.

Pride who was on one knee, still trapped in between Vinny's arms tried to stand but the Mushmon leader applied more pressure to keep him down. "You challenged the wrong the Digimon. It's not just my operation and me, Pride; we have someone up high. Big Boss Trent has real plans for Venhea. The jewels we steal are all small time; just a little extra funding, encouragement for the boys and girls to do their part."

"You don't say, tell me more about this Trent," Pride said, struggling through the pain.

"Wouldn't you love to know? It doesn't matter, you and that cute girl of yours die tonight. Speaking of which, Explosive Greens." Vinny's thick arms exploded, the force so strong that it momentarily knocked Pride unconscious, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as he fell face first to the floor. The concussive wave of the explosion also launched the much lighter Asuka up against a wall, her figure cracking the old wood.

"The three Vegiemon families have all been united under Trent and we will rise to power. You Venhea Knights are no longer needed." Vinny opened his mouth to speak again but his eyes closed with pain. He turned his neck slightly and saw five sharp leaves sticking out of his back. "Stupid mistake," snarled the Zassoumon.

"I made two mistakes tonight but attacking you was not one of them," challenged Asuka as she forced herself to stand. "Mistake one was wanting to show you mercy. Mistake two was not doing this sooner." A holy cadence resounded in Asuka's voice as she finished speaking.

Golden flames began to swirl clockwise around Asuka's feet. Vinny could feel the air growing hotter as the uncomfortable heat hit his face. He spit acid at Asuka but a second ring of phantasmal blue fire rose around the golden flames and protected her. "I am a Knight of Venhea and I am done with you. Renamon Digivolve to Kyubimon."

The ghastly flames swallowed Asuka's body and made her a foggy blue silhouette. Her body grew taller, her frame larger and she fell to all fours. Her tail arched upward and began to spasm finally splitting into nine. Red energy swirled around her upper body as it curled its way around her neck to create a red and white striped, mantle of rope, one bell at each tip. The ghost flames burned fiercely at her paws and at the ends of Asuka's many tails. Lastly, the Ying-Yang symbol from Daoism was proudly displayed upon Asuka's wiser looking face, atop her forehead, and further down her body on each thigh.

"I spare you not because you deserve it but because your pitiful existence deserves to rot," she said with the same grand reverberation in her voice from when she first Digivolved. The flames dispersed around her body except on her right claw as she rushed the Zassoumon. "Claw of the Phantom Beast," she howled as she struck her arm into Vinny's body. Her attack easily burned into him and burrowed deep through his stomach. "This night is over, you lose."

She smiled at her triumph but Asuka barely managed to get the words out when she felt something heavy tackle her to the ground. She lifted her head and as she composed herself, she saw Pride had dragged her down and away from the razor-sharp thorns that had erupted out of Vinny's body.

"We're not done quite yet," said Vinny as the massive hole in his body healed itself. "We won't be done until I see you both dead.

Pride steadied himself; his own injuries from earlier seemingly healed. "Stand down, Vinny. You just healed a rather large injury; that must have cost a lot of data. One on one, you could have caused me a lot more trouble but you used up a lot of gas that you couldn't spare. You're done," explained Pride, his own healing factor slowing cauterizing the last of the cuts Vinny had left.

"Fair enough," replied Vinny as he thought through his situation a bit more. "We're done for tonight," he conceded. "But I'll get you next time, I swear I will. Paralysis Powder." Vinny opened his mouth and a cloud of yellow dust rose into the air. "Breath this in and I'll be on my way.

A fang-filled smile spread across Pride's face. "Asuka, see how that powder glitters? Its an arsonist's dream to burn such nice things."

Asuka's eyes grew wide with understanding. The flames of her tails reignited one by one, left to right with enhanced power.

"What are you doing?" Vinny screeched.

"No more running, Vinny," answered Pride.

"Will-O'-Wisp."

Nine ghost blue fireballs streaked through the air and collided with the oncoming cloud of powder, setting it alight on contact. The phantom flames consumed the yellow dust as the fireballs continued flying through the dust to strike Vinny directly. The Zassoumon recoiled in pain and terror.

"Stop!," he shouted as he tried in vain to shield himself from the pain. "I surrender, please stop," pleaded Vinny. "You win, you bitch, just stop." Tears began to form but never fell from Vinny's eyes as they evaporated in the heat as soon as they formed. Vinny began to cough and choke on his desperate pleas for mercy as the pain overwhelmed him. His senses were bombarded with horrible sensation that slowly brought him to the wooden floor in a black crater of ash.

Pride swept his arm and the smoke hiding Vinny's body was blown away to reveal a devolved Mushmon.

"Let's finish this, Asuka," snarled the Leomon.

She nodded her approval but neither moved from their spot as at that moment they heard oncoming steps and voices.

"Knight Asuka, Knight Pride, are you safe?" asked the familiar voice of Image le Gaomon.

"We're in here, Image, we're safe," replied Asuka, though she did so hesitantly as she caught a dirty look from Pride.

The two weary Knights heard Image bark out orders to a few other fledglings before he and Knight Tempest entered the living room of the safe house.

The mighty avian entered ahead of his young protégé, the size difference adding to the Aquilamon's already imposing appearance. Tempest came to stand before Asuka and Pride, the giant bird a full head taller than even the mighty Leomon.

"That one still alive, Pride?" asked Tempest, his sharp eyes quickly glancing over at Asuka before returning to watch the more experienced Knight's eyes.

"Unfortunately," growled Pride, baring his teeth at to Tempest with his answer.

"Image, grab the dying Mushmon and let's get out of here. We've captured fifty something of these damn Digimon now."

As Image and a Fledgling Biyomon put Vinny onto a stretcher, Asuka mouthed the words "I'm sorry" to an angry looking Pride who was already headed towards the door. Asuka intercepted Pride which prompted Tempest, along with the two Fledglings, to leave the Beast Man Knights to speak amongst themselves.

With their supposed backup gone, the Renamon began making her case. "I'm sorry, I really thought we would need them," Asuka tried to explain, defending her actions.

"Save it," interrupted Pride. "No one else needed to get involved but they are now so just save it."

"Please forgive me, I understand your perspective now, I do."

"Nothing to forgive, Asuka, just do better tomorrow," he said as he roughly pushed by her.

"Tomorrow?" asked Asuka, more to herself than to Pride. Asuka nodded, as she understood what he meant. "I will, I promise I'll do better tomorrow," she said internally.

"Be at Roa's by nine," he growled back as he walked into the woods the same way they had come.

Pride walked briskly through the crime scene that the Fledglings and Knight Tempest had set up. "It was too soon but at least she learned something today," said Pride to himself. "Plus, at least her and I don't have to round up all those other thugs. I would have had to call the rest of the Justice Club and they would have laughed their heads off at me."

* * *

Pride trudged through tall grass and into the beginning part of the thicker brush in the woods.

"Now, where are they?" he asked as he searched for something. "There you are," he announced triumphantly, a mean gleam shining through his predator's eyes. "Now I know you two aren't Vinny but I'll close my eyes and pretend. All Mushmon die the same after all."

Pride picked up the gang members that Asuka had immobilized earlier and carried them off. He took them to a warehouse that was outside of Venhea Imperia in a shady part where no one would question suspicious sights and where he would have his privacy. The Mushmon, while still paralyzed, were both awake and both pairs of eyes were wide with fear.

"Don't be scared, you don't get to be scared when you worked for a terrorizing lunatic like Vinny. You two deserve this. Black and white, good and evil. That is the wonderful Dichotomy of Justice. You two were on the wrong side of that truth so now, it's time for you two to meet the ultimate blackness of death. No one other than me can hear you so please . . . scream for me."

The wickedly sharp blade of Shishioumaru shined with the bloodlust of its wielder.

* * *

The next morning Asuka, Pride, Tempest and Image all reported to the Venhean Police Station. Within the Capital City of Venhea Imperia, the Dramon Corps, a group of Dramon type Knights, acted as jailers. They took statements from the three Knights and the Fledgling while Vinny waited in a holding cell.

Wounded as he was, Vinny was back to being his normal, egotistical self. He'd provided very little information to any of the interrogators and when they compared notes, they realized that Vinny had told each of them a vastly different story. As all of Vinny's associated Mushmon were already in custody, Police Chief Calibur de XV-mon called the only emergency contact he could find, Anastasia Floramon, his supposed sister. She sounded worried about her screw up of a brother and promised to stop by in the Capital City that afternoon for a visit but said she would rather her brother learn his lesson in jail than bail him out.

When Calibur informed Pride and Asuka with the news, they were content to leave the situation in the hands of the Dramon Corps.

"There is one last thing," said the powerfully built Dragon Man Digimon. "Pride, both you and Asuka mention that you immobilized two young Mushmon in your reports but those two are still unaccounted for. Any idea what happened?"

"Probably my fault," confessed Asuka. "I noticed they were young so I pulled my punches. Looks like I did so a little too much."

"She made a good point to me though," offered Pride. "They may have just gotten swept up in everything. With Vinny locked up and those two kids loose, maybe they'll make something of their lives other than trash thugs."

The tall, blue dragon regarded them both, his white wings shifting on his back as if to get more comfortable. "I'll have eyes looking for them just in case. Good work. You're free to go."

"Thank you, Knight Calibur," they said in unison.

Both turned and quickly made their way out of the large black and white Police Station. They walked in silence up the street towards the Knight Barracks until Asuka finally felt she had to speak.

"I'm sorry for last night but going forward I promise not to call for help."

Pride stared straight ahead as he continued walking up the road, smaller Digimon moving out of the way of his imposing figure.

"Can we go out again tonight?" she asked.

"I already told you the answer to that. Meet me at Roa's tonight at nine. Don't be late."

"Really?" Asuka asked, surprised despite the same conversation the night prior.

Pride turned his head and locked eyes with Asuka prompting her to stop walking. He gazed into her eyes for a moment longer before giving her his ferocious looking smile. "You're lucky you're cute," he said, smiling wider when Asuka blushed. "I'll see you tonight," he added before walking down a side street and leaving the rosy cheeked Asuka behind.

Up until that point, Asuka hadn't realized how handsome Pride was. Now that she had, she was looking forward to working alongside him more than she already was and for different reasons.

* * *

Later that afternoon, a lovely young Plant Digimon showed up at the Police Station. Her flower collar and floral red helmet beautifully accentuated her good looks. Her arms were pale blue and soft violet colored flowers with a yellow, question mark looking feeler. The green and yellow of the rest of her body completed her appearance giving her an exotic look that immediately garnered the attention of more than a few pairs of eyes as she walked into the Station.

The small draconic form of the purple, Child Level Digimon, Hero le Monodramon approached the Floramon. "H-hello," he stuttered. "H-how can I help you today?"

She regarded him with knowing eyes. This Floramon had caused these reactions all her life. When she finally spoke, her voice was just as sweet as her appearance would lead one to believe. "I'm here to see my brother, Vinny Mushmon. If you could just point me in the right direction, I'd truly appreciate it," she said, ending her sentence with a wink.

Without another word, for his breath had been stolen, Hero led the Floramon down a long hallway that ended in front of strong white bars leading to another portion of the Station. Standing guard was a yellow dragon covered in dark gray armor.

"U-um, Knight Haven, th-this is, um," stammered Hero as he realized he had been so swept up in the Floramon's looks that he forgot to ask her name.

"Anastasia Floramon," she said, completing Hero's statement. "I was called by a Knight Calibur. I was told you are holding my brother."

The Raptordramon's fierce face seemed to look even angrier for just a moment. "He's waiting for you in room three," informed the Knight, sharp fangs sending a silent warning. "Don't be too long. Hero, take her in."

"Y-yes, Knight Haven."

The buzzer sounded allowing Hero to open the barred door for Anastasia. Once inside the separate portion of the building, he led her to one of ten rooms and stopped in front.

"None of these rooms have any type of recording devices and the walls are mostly soundproof too. Your brother, Vinny, is completely restrained so please, have your final words with him and know that I'll be here if you need anything." Though he spoke one hundred miles an hour, Hero was glad that he didn't stutter once.

"You're sweet, thank you," replied Anastasia as she pinched Hero's cheek. "Be back in a minute," she said as she brushed by Hero and closed the door behind her.

Hatred. That was the only thing Vinny had felt since the previous night. Months of planning wasted because an idiot thug sold him out because his conscience became too much to handle. The worst part was that the Knights holding him now had no idea what he was really doing at the jewelry store. Robbing the place was a front. Vinny's peers owned the place and he was just dropping off the requested delivery. Although he hated the humiliation, Vinny was glad to know that it wouldn't be long until someone came for him as promised when he was given the delivery job. He couldn't wait to exact his revenge. Hatred. All of it disappeared when he saw her.

Vinny tried to scream but his recovering body barely allowed him a deep breath resulting in nothing more than a weak gasp. The gorgeous Digimon before him was not one of his peers, it was his boss.

"You never want to meet me again, Mr. Vinny," Anastasia said cutely. "Isn't that what I told you, oh, yes, it is," she continued, speaking to Vinny as if he were a baby.

Vinny squirmed in his restraints, he tried to move despite the flares of pain as he agitated his bruises and other injuries. He just had to speak, he needed to beg for mercy, he needed to beg for forgiveness for one more chance, for a less painful way to go.

"You had one job, Vinny, and you screwed it up. Now I don't know what you do when someone screws up but my motto is if they can't the job, no point in keeping them around."

Vinny's mind jumped back to the previous night when he had forces explosives down Ado's throat. Anastasia would make that seem like dying in one's sleep.

"Vinny, my dream is to be Queen for the future King of Under Forest, Big Boss Trent. Unfortunately there's the problem with that little bug infestation. You and the rest of my underlings are helping me find a solution but you almost cost me years of work." Anastasia nodded her head in disapproval as she made her way closer to Vinny. "You get no second chances with me, Vinny," she whispered with mock sadness as a large grin grew on her pretty face.

Vinny wished that Pride or the Knight he was with could have killed him the night prior. Vinny regretted every decision he had made that had brought him to this moment. He had only become a thug to chase after the girl of his dreams, the girl in front of him and now she was going to kill him. He loved her despite all the fear. His fear of losing her was how she had gotten him to join the life in the first place. He had wanted to impress her despite how little he cared about the opinions of others. That was how she got everyone involved. She made him and everyone else dependent of her, made them cruel and callous. And now, in his final moments, as he realized her manipulative ways, as he stared into her eyes after longing to see her for so long, after trying desperately to get her attention, he wanted to kill her for stealing his life away from him.

"Hellblossom Powder."

Vinny struggled against the straps and chains keeping him seated. There was no escape. He held his breath for as long as he could but in his weakened state it was mere seconds before he had to inhale the dust. Pain surged through him. His esophagus went dry, the skin within cracking making it impossible to scream and allowing even less air to his lungs. His pores opened and filled with a bright red puss that boiled and burned him. Vinny's mushroom cap grew heavy and began to sag though it didn't break, the intensified weight making it feel like his head would be pulled apart. His hands and feet collapsed on themselves leaving the remaining stumps to painfully peel as gravity did its part. As Vinny cried, he realized his tears had become acidic. His eyes melted within their sockets. He would not give her the satisfaction of screaming but as he clenched his teeth, the now brittle bones shattered.

A quick moment of delight and then Anastasia began to scream. Vinny was blind at this point, his eardrums ruptured at her scream, and the nerve endings all over his body were so wrought with pain he could not feel anything that wasn't intense pain. Vinny began convulsing, each agonizing second seeming to last years. The former proud leader of a troop of Mushmon was now dead.

Vinny would have hated to know that Anastasia convinced everyone that he had committed suicide. He would have hated that they tried to console her. Most of all, he would have hated that she was free to roam the world and destroy the lives of so many Digimon by using gullible, mean spirited thugs like Vinny himself. Despite all his meanness, there were nights that Vinny would lie awake and wonder what a life outside of the crime world would be like. He was never strong enough to leave what he knew.

Vinny died a horrible death. Anastasia walked out of the Police Station a few hours later with a smile on her lips.

Using a Digivice she spoke to the Digimon on the other end of the call and simply said, "Tell Moro he's promoted."

* * *

The next few days were a blur for Asuka. In the morning, she would do her training. She would be on patrol and on call all afternoon. Come early evening she would visit Archie and Valor. Once they headed off for bed she would head to Roa's bar to meet with Pride and from there she would go out with Pride to take care of business.

The night of Vinny's suicide, Pride was in a terrible mood so the two of them used some of the Justice Club's resources to track down a slave-fighting ring. Run by Pyro von BomberNanimon, an infamous criminal, Asuka had no qualms about killing the so called "Child Burner".

On their second night together, a homicidal kidnapper, Sly von Fangmon, arrived in the outskirts of the Capital City of Venhea. He had been preying on a group of young Gazimon when Asuka and Pride found him. Even though he earned himself a new scar protecting Asuka, Pride seemed happy at the end of the night when Sly's belly stopped rising and falling with breath and his data dispersed.

The third night they caught onto the trail of, a femme fatale, Kitten van BlackGatomon. Due to her continually worsening relationship with Vislers's girlfriend, Hope da Gatomon, on this night Asuka killed the villain herself, relieving much of her pent up frustration by doing so.

This continued for a few more nights and each night Asuka grew fonder of Pride, more understanding of his mentality, and more forgiving of his methods. Finally, two weeks from their first midnight escapade, after killing the scarecrow-like Crow von Nohemon, Asuka and Pride met one another's glance and they kept their eyes on each other.

Asuka walked towards Pride and she allowed his powerful arm to hug her close to him. Pride bent down as Asuka stood on her toes to bridge the height gap and they kissed in the moonlight, a dead body bleeding at their feet.

"This isn't right but its not wrong either," thought Asuka as the madness of the situation settled in.

"The Justice Club is doing a special mission tomorrow night. I want you to go," Pride said suddenly. He intently stared at her but when she said nothing, he asked "Will you join us?"

Still trapped in his powerful embrace, Asuka merely nodded her head as she thought, "This is a world of black and white and all I am is a restless Knight trying to make it right."


End file.
